Italian divers risked life and limb to rescue a teddy bear that a child had left behind on the Costa Concordia during the chaotic evacuation of the cruise ship last month.

The child's father told rescuers that the little boy had been unable to sleep since the disaster and desperately missed his toy.

He wrote to islanders who had given shelter to him and his son after they were brought ashore when the 950ft long vessel ran aground on the Italian island of Giglio on the night of Jan 13.

Islanders passed the letter to the island's mayor, Sergio Ortelli, who in turn gave it to rescue divers, who entered the hull on a special mission, finding the cabin where the boy had been staying and retrieving the soft toy – bedraggled but intact.

Bad weather has repeatedly forced divers to suspend their operations in the hull of the crippled ship but they took advantage of a break in the weather earlier this week to go back in – a welcome break from the grim task of looking for bodies.

They found the bear hidden in a tangle of debris – overturned tables, chairs, mattresses and scattered luggage.

Rescuers sent the teddy bear back to the boy, who lives with his father in Verona in northern Italy, having lost his mother some years ago.

Meanwhile an American lawyer who represents more than 70 survivors, including a group of British passengers, said he will be seeking a minimum of $150,000 in compensation per person.

John Arthur Eaves Jr said survivors deserved at least that much for the trauma they had suffered.

He said an offer made by Costa Cruises, the Genoa-based company that operates the ship, of 11,000 euros per passenger, was "disrespectful".

"I think it is disrespectful to people who had to go through a Titanic experience for six hours and wondered whether they would come out alive," he said in Rome.

"I've heard stories of people who lost their parents, their wives, people who will never go back on a cruise ship again, who are afraid even to leave the house." He said that while every case would be different, he would be seeking a minimum of $150,000 in compensation for each of his clients. "I don't even want to begin negotiations for less than that."

Mr Eaves argued that even though Costa Cruises is based in Italy, its parent company, US-based Carnival, should bear responsibility for the disaster. "Carnival set the safety culture, the industry practises, they were running the show and we believe that is why they are responsible." He said he would file lawsuits on behalf of his clients, who include Britons, Americans, Italians, Germans and Russians, in the US within the next two weeks.

Mr Eaves said he would also push for changes in maritime laws and technology to make the cruise ship industry safer and to improve the training of crew members.

"Carnival has nearly 50 per cent of the world cruise market, so if we can change their behaviour we can change the whole industry." He was part of a legal team who obtained settlements of nearly $2 million apiece in 2000 for the families of 20 people killed in Italy when a U.S.